Black Representatives and Their Constituents

E-book $7.00 to $25.00About E-booksISBN: 9780226241326
Published
April 2011

Thirty years ago there were nine African Americans in the U.S. House of Representatives. Today there are four times that number. In Going Home, the dean of congressional studies, Richard F. Fenno, explores what representation has meant—and means today—to black voters and to the politicians they have elected to office.

Fenno follows the careers of four black representatives—Louis Stokes, Barbara Jordan, Chaka Fattah, and Stephanie Tubbs Jones—from their home districts to the halls of the Capitol. He finds that while these politicians had different visions of how they should represent their districts (in part based on their individual preferences, and in part based on the history of black politics in America), they shared crucial organizational and symbolic connections to their constituents. These connections, which draw on a sense of "linked fates," are ones that only black representatives can provide to black constituents.

His detailed portraits and incisive analyses will be important for anyone interested in the workings of Congress or in black politics.

“In this original and important book, Richard Fenno draws upon interviews with the pioneer group of black congresspersons (Louis Stokes and Barbara Jordan) to compare their representational styles to contemporary congresspersons such as Chaka Fattah and Stephanie Tubbs Jones. His portraits suggest that black representatives are not simply descriptive representatives of their group, but work very hard to provide substantive outcomes as well. Fenno has the ability to pull more information from an interview and put it within a broader theoretical context than any political scientist I know.”<\#209>Paula D. McClain, Duke University

Contents

Acknowledgments

1. African American House Members and RepresentationChange and DiversityInclusion, Influence and LinkageRepresentation and the Home PerspectiveConceptualization: Process, Connections, Negotiation and StrategyElements of Strategy: Personal Goals, Constituency Contexts and Experiential LearningThe Study

7. ConclusionRepresentation and HomeChange and CohortsDiversity and Personal GoalsContext and Policy ConnectionsSymbolic and Organizational ConnectionsPersonal ConnectionsNegotiation and LearningInstitutional Careers and Home

Notes

Index

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